Rise of the Fossil Fuel Industry - Discussions and Debates

pirc1 · Dec 8, 2016

watashi315 said: ↑

Renewable is the future but there are variables that could impede its adoption in this country. Recent EIA annual data (2015) has shown that renewable has been growing in the U.S. electric generation portfolio, with hydro being the largest (46%) and wind being second (35%). The problem with hydro and wind is that they are unreliable and the amount of electricity generated by wind and hydro can vary year by year due to weather and climate changes. Natural gas is currently the only source of fuel that is 1). low cost 2). low emission and 3). readily available whenever you need it. The gas-electric "marriage" will be here for years to come.

Furthermore there are usually three types of policies aimed to increase renewable: financial incentives in the form of tax credits which is sponsored by the federal government, state renewable portfolio targets, and renewable energy certificate/credits (RECs). All three policies can be greatly altered or abolished by political appointees.
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I am not talking about current technology but mostly about technology that is coming down the line, if we cut back on investment in renewable research, I am sure there will be plenty of other countries doing it.

pirc1 · Dec 8, 2016

Accord99 said: ↑

It's not static, but it unlikely to jump from the batteries of today that may economically store 1 days worth of electricity to one that can store a summer surplus. Especially for batteries which have existed for more than a hundred years and where greater storage capacity is valuable and would be useful for so many application.
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Could we have imagined the computer technology of today back in the 70s? Could the people in the 1911 imagined the space technology of today? How long did it take to develop the internet?

Amiga · Dec 8, 2016

Accord99 said: ↑

It's not static, but it unlikely to jump from the batteries of today that may economically store 1 days worth of electricity to one that can store a summer surplus. Especially for batteries which have existed for more than a hundred years and where greater storage capacity is valuable and would be useful for so many application.
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Battery might have been around a long time, but they weren't meant for storing energy to power a city. I'm pretty sure that's a recent goal. I'm not in this industry, but know someone who has a family member directly involved. If he's right, we are 5 years away from solving that issue. I don't believe it until I see it. Also, I imagine even if true, the oil&gas industry probably have something to said about it.

dmoneybangbang · Dec 8, 2016

I am a big proponent of natural gas as way to create American jobs and as a good replacement to coal as it pollutes considerably less.

I have also been burned by investing in natural gas so I do have an incentive for it to replace coal.

Man · Dec 11, 2016

watashi315 said: ↑

Renewable is the future but there are variables that could impede its adoption in this country. Recent EIA annual data (2015) has shown that renewable has been growing in the U.S. electric generation portfolio, with hydro being the largest (46%) and wind being second (35%). The problem with hydro and wind is that they are unreliable and the amount of electricity generated by wind and hydro can vary year by year due to weather and climate changes. Natural gas is currently the only source of fuel that is 1). low cost 2). low emission and 3). readily available whenever you need it. The gas-electric "marriage" will be here for years to come.

Furthermore there are usually three types of policies aimed to increase renewable: financial incentives in the form of tax credits which is sponsored by the federal government, state renewable portfolio targets, and renewable energy certificate/credits (RECs). All three policies can be greatly altered or abolished by political appointees.
Click to expand...

Wind certainly intermittent.. can you explain on hydro? Would think it is more recurring in the selected areas of use.

Agreed on the altering of policies. I don't know if the cost of oil & gas production will drop that much more from more favorable federal regulation since prices are already low, but it seems like Trump policies would be helpful for related infrastructure and downstream refining build-out domestically.

watashi315 · Dec 13, 2016

Man said: ↑

Wind certainly intermittent.. can you explain on hydro? Would think it is more recurring in the selected areas of use.

Agreed on the altering of policies. I don't know if the cost of oil & gas production will drop that much more from more favorable federal regulation since prices are already low, but it seems like Trump policies would be helpful for related infrastructure and downstream refining build-out domestically.
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Water pressure powers the dams which in turns creates electricity. The higher the water level the higher the pressure; the lower the water level the lower the pressure. Water levels go up and down according to various factors like rainfall, etc. These affect the amount of electricity produced.

On another note, former Texas governor Rick Perry has been nominated to be the next Energy Secretary. Since he is on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, I'm sure he'll push hard for oil and gas infrastructure.

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Rise of the Fossil Fuel Industry - Discussions and Debates

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